


Past The Oncoming Storm

by AnnCarter



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fix-It, Romance, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22359685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnCarter/pseuds/AnnCarter
Summary: What would have happened had Rose told the Doctor he came to see her on New Year's Day? Could Doomsday have been avoided? (Doomsday fix-it fic, spoilers up to The End of Time, including)
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a random thought... What would have happened had Rose mentioned their meeting to the Doctor? Thanks to RTD for some of those lines...

_All rights for Doctor Who are the BBC's. I own nothing._

_Originally published[here](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11722879/1/Past-the-Oncoming-Storm)._

* * *

_"What year is this?"_

_"Blimey, how much have you had? Two-thousand and five, January the first."_

_"Two-thousand and five. Tell you what. I bet you're going to have a really great year."_

_"Yeah? See you."_

* * *

"Who are you?" She stared at him, fear and shock mixing in her eyes as she held on to the TARDIS. It was as if she was trying to hide from him, but at the same time, hide how frightened she was. "How can you be here?"

He looked at her in surprise. "I'm the Doctor."

She shook her head. "No. Where is he? Where's the Doctor? What have you done to him?" The fighter side of her emerged again, replacing the fear she was feeling.

His smile disappeared. The whole situation was so much weirder than he'd expected. "You saw me. I, I changed…" He gestured towards the place where he was standing when he regenerated. "Right in front of you."

Her voice was full of pain. "I saw him sort of… explode, and then you replaced him, like a… teleport, or… a transmat or a body swap or something." She moved closer to him, and if looks could kill, he knew he'd have regenerated on spot. "And it's you again! You're not fooling me." She pushed him slightly. He stared at her, in complete and utter shock. "I've seen all sorts of things. Nano genes… Gelth… Slitheen…"

He raised his eyebrows. She couldn't seriously be thinking he was Slitheen or anything like that, could she?

He got the answer a moment later.

"Oh my god, are you a Slitheen?" She asked quietly.

"I am not a Slitheen." His voice was calmer than he'd expected. Somewhere in the back of his head he realised she was frightened because she'd never seen anything like that, but having her looking at him that way hurt too much for him to be able to stay calm. She'd never looked at him like that, with such fear and pain and hatred.

"Send him back." Her voice rose higher. "I'm warning you, send the Doctor back right now!"

"Rose," He leaned towards her, hoping she'd finally listen. "It's me. Honestly, it's me. I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell but… it's still me."

She clearly didn't believe him. "You… you can't be," She whispered, tears in her eyes.

Finally regaining his own senses, he moved towards her. "Then how could I remember this?" He asked softly. "Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar, surrounded by shop window dummies. Oh…" It was as if it's been years since that moment. "Such a long time ago. I took your hand…" He took her hand with his, the way he'd done hundreds of times before. She looked up into his eyes. "I said one word… just one word. I said 'run'."

Her eyes were still filled with tears, but they were no longer looking at him with such pain. As realisation downed on her, she whispered, "Doctor."

He grinned happily. "Hello," He said gently. Now that she knew it was him, everything could go back to normal. Everything was finally fine.

* * *

"Rose?"

She looked up at him from where she was sitting on the couch and reading whatever magazine her mother brought in that morning. She requested to stay at home for the night, to be able to celebrate Christmas day with Jackie and Mickey, and unable to say no to her, he agreed immediately. Even though he had much better plans for them.

"Yeah?" She smiled slightly at the sight of him, and he couldn't help but return his own little smile.

"When you said 'it's you again'…" He walked towards her and sat down next to her, looking at her seriously, "What did you mean?"

She frowned. "When?"

He tilted his head towards the outside, where his TARDIS was parked. "After I regenerated." She bit her lower lip, her pain rising again at the reminder of everything that's happened. "After that happened…" He continued gently, "You said 'it's you again'. What did you mean?"

"Nothing." She shook her head. "I just thought…" She looked down. "I thought I saw you before, that's all. I guess it was just someone who looked like you."

"I suppose." He agreed, even though he doubted it was possible. It _was_ possible she met a future version of him. It was actually more probable than any alternative he could think of. "When was that?"

"New year's day." She remained quiet a moment, trying to remember their brief encounter. "He'd asked what year it was, and when I said two-thousand and five he said something about… um… He thought it was going to be a good year." She shrugged. "He was probably just drunk."

"Probably," He agreed again. "What're you reading?" He changed the subject, looking at the magazine.

She smiled and showed it to him. He remained sitting there next to her, pointing at random things and making her laugh. Despite his lightness, he kept thinking about Rose's story, his hearts filling with fear. What could have possibly happened that was so bad that he came to see her before they'd even met?

* * *

There was nothing more he could do. Was there?

As the Doctor wandered through time and space, he could feel his body dying. One cell after another, counting down what little time he had left before he'd have to regenerate again. He hated that moment – it was always so painful – but he preferred it over the alternative.

He'd loved and lost so many people during that short time since his previous regeneration, and the thought of them all pained him more than he could say. Ah, Donna was happy, he'd seen that; and Mickey and Martha had each other; Sarah Jane had Luke and K-9; Jack was still running around the universe causing trouble – oh, he'd missed that man – and doing some good; even Joan was happy in the end.

It still hurt to think about them all.

Especially the only one he hadn't been able to see.

His Rose. Oh, she was happy, she must have been. He left her with his duplicate, knowing they'd care for each other. He was certain it wouldn't be easy for them, but he knew eventually she'd grow to love him. Just like she loved him. And he knew he'd always love her… just like he still loved her.

_In the end of the day,_ he reasoned, _I couldn't have given her anything better. She won't see him as a duplicate anymore. Maybe she no longer does. And he's human. They can be happy together._

But as it often does, reasoning didn't lessen the pain in his hearts.

If only there was a way he could see her before he regenerated… just for a moment, even less than that. Just to see his pink and yellow girl again; the fire in her eyes and the smile on her lips. He'd give anything to be able to do just that…

His hands piloted the TARDIS away before he'd even realised what he was thinking.

When he stepped out of his TARDIS, he quickly studied his surroundings. Earth. Winter, probably December or January. Some time past midnight. London, the Powell Estate.

All the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.

There they were, Rose and Jackie, talking quietly about dates and New Year's Day plans. He wished he could talk to her, but knew she wouldn't recognise him. She couldn't; they hadn't even met yet. When she mentioned it to him, right after he regenerated, he knew it must have been his future self, but he hadn't realised just how desperate he would be to see her.

He grunted in pain when his body alerted him his regeneration was near.

Hearing that, Rose stopped and turned to look at him. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful she really was. "You alright, mate?" She asked.

"Yeah," He managed.

"Too much to drink?" She sounded somewhat amused.

How could he explain to her what was really happening? He couldn't. "Something like that."

"Maybe it's time you went home."

"Yeah."

"Anyway," She smiled at him, "Happy New Year."

He wished he could keep that smile right beside him, with that brilliant young woman he was now willing to admit he loved so much. "And you," He replied, knowing it was only fair. "What year is that?"

"Blimey, how much have you had?" Her amusement was clearer now. "Two-thousand and five, January the first."

He looked at her quietly for a moment that felt like an eternity. She remembered their conversation – _this_ conversation – later on. She even told him about it, even though she probably wouldn't have had she known it was his future self. She practically told him he had to be there that day; he had to see her and talk to her.

Maybe, if he told her something more about what was going to happen…

_No,_ He told himself. _No, I can't do this. I shouldn't do this. Changing my own past is forbidden. If there's one thing I mustn't do, it's this. I can't._

But looking at her smile, the Doctor knew he couldn't give up on this. He couldn't let go of this opportunity. When they went to the Olympics – rather, when they _tried_ and he ended up as a painting – he sensed something was about to happen. Something bad. Something very bad. A storm was coming, and he knew it, but he had no idea what he could do to survive it.

But now he knew what he needed to do.

"Two-thousand and five. Tell you what," He said casually, "I bet you're going to have a really great year."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," He spoke quickly, surprising her. "But when the storm comes," She frowned, "Make sure you run as far as you can. Like on the satellite."

"Blimey," She seemed amused, and he was relieved she didn't question him any further, "How much _did_ you have?"

He shrugged. "More than I should have."

"I can tell. See you."

* * *

"Rose?"

She looked up at him, smiling as she saw him. She seemed to like his new face – after they've gone through the preliminary shock stage, that is – and he was more than happy to see it. His hands in the pocket of his trousers, he walked towards her and sat down on the couch next to her. She'd insisted they'd better stay for Christmas day, and seeing her happiness, he couldn't say no to her.

"Yeah?"

"When you said 'it's you again'…" He paused, giving her a moment to remember that moment. "What did you mean?"

She frowned, clearly still having no idea what he was talking about. "When?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it backwards. "Well, right after I regenerated, when you told me to bring him back…" She shifted uncomfortably and he hurried to continue, "You said 'it's you again'. What did you mean?"

"Nothing." She shrugged. "I thought I'd seen you before, that's all."

He frowned. "When?"

"I dunno. New Year's Day, I think." She remained quiet for a moment, trying to remember that day. "That was odd. This guy walked up to me and said something about how this year will be a good year." She smiled at him sheepishly. "It really was."

He grinned back at her. "Yeah," He agreed. He couldn't tell her how happy he was that she joined him. "Um, so that guy…?"

She shrugged again. "Guess he had a bit too much to drink. Said something about a storm coming and running far like on the satellite." She grinned. "Guess everything makes sense when you're drunk."

"How would I know?" He grinned at her once again. "Time Lords don't get drunk."

She laughed. "Yeah, I saw!"

"What are you talking about?" He pretended to be insulted. She only laughed harder. "I'll have you know that back then on Andromeda-Seven-"

"You were drunk." She managed through her laughter. He pouted. "You really were though!"

"I really wasn't!" He insisted, although his mind kept on reeling, focusing on the things she'd said. Even though she thought it was just an odd similarity, he had a feeling it was more than that. It could have been him – truly, him – coming back in time to see her. His future self.

In which case his words weren't the words of a drunk man, but a warning.

And somehow – he had no idea how – he knew that warning was meant for him.

* * *

He didn't think about the warning again, not until he saw the storm approaching.

They've gone through more than he'd ever have thought they would. A werewolf, clockwork robots, Cybermen, an Isolus and even Satan. No matter who it was that tried to tear them apart, they always found their way back to each other. The Doctor and Rose. Always together.

But then the storm arrived and the ghosts appeared, and the Doctor knew that if he doesn't listen to the warning he received, he'll never see Rose again.

When they visited the impossible planet, Rose seemed to want to tell him something. It was only when she gently pressed her lips against his helmet that he suddenly realised how important she was to him and how many things were still unsaid between the two of them. That was when he decided that if they ever get out of that planet alive, he'd tell her everything.

He didn't.

And now she was in danger.

As he walked around Torchwood, learning everything the human race had managed to screw up since their last visit – honestly, how else could he call that? – he felt both anger and fear flooding him. He knew the storm was their fault, as the moment he walked into the building he could feel it surrounding him, attempting to knock him down. He also knew that the longer he remained there, the more likely he was to lose her.

The Cybermen – and the Daleks, who appeared practically out of nowhere – kept him busy, but it wasn't nearly half as busy as he needed to be to stop thinking about it. His future self – he was certain of that now – was warning him of this day. This specific day. And he was telling him to run.

But how could he run when the fate of the entire universe was in the balance?

He couldn't. Not even for Rose.

"How are you?" He asked as he walked into the sphere room, grinning at her.

She grinned back at him. "Oh, same old, you know."

"Good. And Mickity McMickey. Nice to see you!"

"And you, boss." Mickey seemed as happy to see him as he was. He glanced at them both again before turning to the Daleks, trying to understand who they were.

The Cult of Skaro. He should have known.

The ark they had was the thing that intrigued him, though. Time Lord science, activated by touch. It wasn't uncommon, certainly not for technologies created during the Time War, but something about it was still odd. As if he should have known something about the ark.

"The Doctor will open the Ark!" Dalek Sek ordered him.

He laughed. "The Doctor will not."

"You have no way of resisting."

"Well, you got me there." He admitted. "Although there is always this," He added, getting his sonic screwdriver.

"A sonic probe?"

_These stupid Daleks._ "That's screwdriver."

"It is harmless."

"Oh, yes," He agreed eagerly. "Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do. It is very good at opening doors." And with those words he opened the door to the room, letting Jake and the Cybermen enter.

Within moments they were all running outside and upstairs. A plan already forming in his mind, he hurried to get the Magnaclamps. He could get rid of them all at once, only this time, he could do it without killing anyone. Without destroying anything.

Almost anything.

As he looked at the Daleks, flying out of the prison ship – _of course_ it was bigger on the inside! How could he have been so slow? – he realised there were certain precautions he would have to take. The clamps could save him, yes, but there were others who'd travelled between universes in the area – Pete, Mickey, Jake… Rose.

_Maybe that's what I'd meant,_ He thought as he explained his plan to them. Deep down he was both proud of and thrilled at how fast Rose understood it, showing him they really made a perfect team. _Maybe the whole point was to send her away to keep her safe._

After all, that's what he did when the Daleks came to Satellite Five, didn't he?

And then she came back.

"Once the breach collapses, that's it." He said through gritted teeth. He needed her to leave. He needed her to be safe. "You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!"

She looked at him calmly. "I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you. So what can I do to help?"

He told her what to do as he looked at her, his mind reeling. He should have told her about the storm; should have told her he needed her to be safe and that the only way to make sure she'd be safe was to send her away; should have told her about the warning and what it meant-

He froze.

That wasn't _quite_ what he did on Satellite Five, was it? He didn't _just_ send her away. He activated Emergency Program One.

Could there be another way to save her?

"That's more like it. Bit of a smile." He couldn't help but smile as the thought crossed his mind, and she immediately noticed it and grinned back at him. "The old team."

"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake," He retorted, still grinning.

"Which one's Shiver?"

"Oh, I'm Shake." She laughed quietly. He pulled her aside, glancing at the window. The Daleks and Cybermen were coming; he didn't have much time. "Now, Rose, I need you to go to the TARDIS-"

Guessing his thoughts, she shook her head. "No."

"Rose-"

"I'm not leaving you."

"I don't want you to."

"I don't believe you." She looked at him, her determination clear in her eyes. "I fell for that once. I'm not going to fall for it again."

"Rose, listen to me." His voice was more serious than she'd ever heard it. He could see eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed it. "I don't have time to explain. I promise I _will_ explain everything as soon as you're back here, but-"

"So you're sending me away again!" She cut him off angrily. "Just like-"

"It's either that or I'll lose you forever!"

She stared at him in shock. "What?" She mumbled.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Rose, please," He begged quietly. "I promise I'll explain everything the moment you're back here. But right now the only place I know you'll be safe is in the TARDIS. I'm gonna send her away, as far as I can, and set her to return in a few hours. It should be enough to keep you safe."

"But…" She stepped backwards, still looking shocked. "But why…?"

"I don't know," He admitted. "But please, do as I say." He glanced at the window. The Daleks were almost too close for his plan to work. "I promise, if this works, I'll explain everything."

She hesitated. "You promise?"

He nodded. "I promise."

She hesitated before nodding. "What do I do then?"

He breathed out in relief. "Pull the purple lever. It will send you and the TARDIS away. You'll return here in a few hours. Hopefully just a few hours into the future, too, but I can't be sure of that." He grimaced. "I do hope it'll be a few hours into the future."

"Okay." She hesitated briefly before hugging him. He hugged her back, holding her tightly. "Good luck."

"You too." He let go and watched her as she left. Then, as soon as he heard the TARDIS dematerializing, he turned back to his plan.

Within moments his Magnaclamp was attached to the wall. Pulling the lever on his side, he placed his sonic screwdriver between his teeth and pressed the button, aiming it at the other lever, on the other side of the room. Within seconds – and just as both the Daleks and Cybermen had reached the room – the suction was in full force.

He held onto the clamp tightly. Silently, he kept counting down until the moment the breach seals itself. One minute, fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight seconds…

He stopped when he saw the other lever slowly going the wrong way.

_Of course that'd happen,_ He thought, again activating the screwdriver with his teeth. The lever resisted for long few seconds that felt like forever, and he'd just started thinking it wouldn't work… When he managed to reverse its movement.

He let out a relieved breath and started counting again.

* * *

When the breach sealed itself for good – _thank goodness it worked_ – he let go of the clamps and sat down on the floor. The first thing he did was to search in his mind for the unique signature of his TARDIS, which hadn't disappeared from his mind since the moment he took her from Gallifrey. It seemed as though she was still there… but he couldn't be sure. She was too far away.

Leaving Torchwood, he turned towards the Powell Estate. Jackie was with Pete in the other universe; Rose was – hopefully – in the TARDIS. Their apartment was definitely empty – the perfect place for him to stay until his TARDIS comes back.

He hoped she'd be back within a few hours.

Seeing as it was late – and he _was_ rather tired after everything that's happened that day – he locked the door behind him and lay down on the couch. It was more comfortable than he'd remembered it, although he still had a hard time falling asleep on it.

Sitting up, he sighed. _I'm not gonna be able to sleep here, am I?_

The truth was he was too worried about Rose and the TARDIS to be able to sleep. He was so certain his plan would work, but if it didn't, it only had one meaning: he'd lost them both. But then, he could have sworn he could still feel her in his mind…

Getting up, he wandered around the apartment. Both bedrooms were ready for sleep, even though both women weren't going to come back to them. Rose's bedroom smelled just like her, drawing him in, until he sat down on her bed.

Within moments he was asleep in her bed, dreaming about his Rose.

* * *

It's been three days since the battle of Canary Wharf, and there was still no sign of the TARDIS. Three days. The Doctor was growing agitated.

Deep down, he started wondering whether he was wrong. Did he make a mistake sending Rose and the TARDIS away? Was it wrong to assume that would protect them? Was she now inside the Void, after he'd promised both her and Jackie he would keep her safe?

It was impossible. It was supposed to protect them. It _had_ to have protected them. He wasn't sucked into the Void; she had to have survived too. It only made sense.

But then, since when has his life made sense?

_I should have let her stay here,_ He thought. _I should have-_

The sound of the TARDIS rematerialising cut his thoughts off.

Before his mind could process the fact his TARDIS was back, he was already out the door, running downstairs towards the spot where he usually landed the TARDIS when they came back.

There she was, standing in the middle of the street. He watched it carefully as the door opened and Rose stepped out of it, blinking at the sudden sunlight.

Before she could see him, he crashed into her, hugging her tightly. She seemed shocked at first, but when she realised it was him, she laughed and hugged him back, holding onto him just as tightly as he was holding onto her.

"It worked!" He breathed out in her ear before laughing joyously. "You're here!"

"'Course I am." He could practically hear her grinning. "It's only been a few hours."

"For you, maybe." He pulled back, grimacing.

"How long has it been for you?"

He glared at his TARDIS. "Three days!" She burst out laughing again and he pouted. "Stop laughing!" Her laughter turned harder. "Seriously, Rose, stop laughing!"

Seeing that he couldn't make her stop laughing any other way, he pulled her to him and pressed his lips against hers, again surprising her. At first she was frozen with shock, but eventually she kissed him back, silently telling him she felt the same way.

He smiled softly when he pulled back. "Hello," He said softly.

"Hello," She grinned back at him. "Nice to see you again."

"Likewise." She laughed quietly. "Fancy seeing Tetha-Alpha-G?"

"Sure." He led her back into the TARDIS, smiling as he sensed his old friend in his mind again. "But first, Doctor. Tell me the truth. What was this all about?"

He hesitated as he sat down. "Do you remember you met this guy in New Year's Day, and he mentioned something about a storm and a satellite?" She nodded, frowning. "Do you remember telling me about it?"

"Yeah, but… I thought he was just some drunk guy."

He shook his head. "I don't think he was. I think… it was a future version of me." He hesitated once again. "And he… _I_ was trying to warn us about Torchwood. If it weren't for his warning, I'd have probably lost you." He took a deep breath. "Forever."

She looked at him quietly for a long moment before taking his hand with hers. "Good thing I'm not going anywhere, then."

He smiled at her. "Yeah. Now, Tetha-Alpha-G?"

"Sure." She grinned. "After you, Doctor."


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A moment of honesty: I didn't mean to write a second part to this. Really, I didn't. I thought the first part was just how it should be. But then RaziOUAT pointed out that I need to close the loop. And at first I said no. But then I read it again. And I realised it's true. So I wrote this. A year ago. And forgot to upload this. But now that I've started reading Rose, I figured it's a good time to do it. (Okay, I'll admit it, the moment that Rose thinks about meeting the "Drunk stranger" at New Year's eve brought it up. Shush.)

The Doctor woke up with a start.

He didn't know what woke him up; he just knew he had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. It could have been a dream, but somehow he knew, deep in his hearts, that it wasn't a nightmare. It was a very real threat that was bothering him, whatever it was.

Feeling him moving, Rose snuggled closer to him in her sleep. He gently wrapped his arm around her, holding her against his chest. There was a small smile on her lips, the same smile she had every time they lay together, holding each other. His hearts swelled with his love towards her.

How could he have possibly resisted this for so long? He wondered, just like he did every time they were snuggled together like this. To think he almost lost her without even telling her he loved her. What a silly Time Lord he's been.

For some reason, his mind reeled back to the thought of losing her. He was so close to it. But it's been a while since that - nearly two years since the Battle of Canary Wharf. There was no reason to think about it.

Unless, of course, whatever woke him up was about losing her.

But he couldn't lose her. He could feel the future, almost see it, and it was bright and clear. True, there were always risks, but it wasn't something along the lines of the storm he'd seen before Canary Wharf. And yet, the nagging feeling remained, driving him even further from the sleep he was looking for.

He sighed. So much for that.

* * *

He'd been pacing around the TARDIS for a couple of hours when she finally found him in the library. He was walking next to one of the walls, and, being completely oblivious to his surroundings, he nearly walked right into her.

He breathed out in surprise when he saw her in front of him. "Rose!" He managed, his thoughts cut off and his hearts beating madly. They slowed down when he saw it's her, before once again speeding up as concern filled him. "Are you okay?" He asked, studying her.

"Yeah. Are you?" She seemed somewhat suspicious.

"Sure," He lied immediately.

She knew him far too well. Just like he knew she would, she turned worried. Frowning, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," He insisted.

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Doctor."

He hesitated before shaking his head. "It's probably nothing," He said. "I just have a bad feeling, that's all. But it's probably nothing."

She knew better than to believe his assurances, though. "What about?" She asked, frowning again.

"I don't know," He lied, but this time she didn't seem to realise it. "It's probably nothing. Not every time I had a bad feeling something happened."

"I suppose not," She agreed reluctantly. "But I haven't seen you like this in a long time. Since..." She gulped, stopping herself.

The fear in her eyes was the exact same one that's been filling his hearts since he woke up. "Since Canary Wharf," He said flatly, knowing what she wanted to say.

Her eyes darted up to his. "Doctor..." She started before taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself, "Do you think you're... you're going to lose me?"

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her to his chest, for his own comfort as much as for hers. "No," He said firmly. "Whatever happens, I'm _not_ going to lose you. I don't care what I have to do, I won't let it happen. We agreed you're going to stay with me forever, didn't we?" She nodded. "Well then. We'll just have to face whatever it is when it comes - and survive it. _Together_."

"Yeah." Her hands clutched his jacket tightly, trying to bring them even closer together. "We'll make it through. Together."

* * *

Once everything was out in the open, the Doctor insisted on taking certain measures of precaution. For one, they'd stay together at all times, no matter where and when they are. Until they find out what the mysterious threat is, they'd stay in the TARDIS, going nowhere. And even more important than both, they'd do whatever they can to find out what's about to happen.

Rose didn't seem to like the idea of remaining in the Tardis, floating in the Time Vortex, but sensing the Doctor's fear, she didn't resist. He knew she wanted to argue and say something could happen in the Tardis, too, but stopped herself, knowing it would only make matters worse. That was something he couldn't help.

They spent the day in the library, going over every book they could think of that might be related, trying to understand what it was that was coming. The Doctor kept insisting he wasn't seeing anything in the horizon - unlike before the battle of Canary Wharf - which narrowed their searches greatly, but as they dropped more and more books onto the pile on the floor, they'd grown desperate enough to start looking at everything, even books that had nothing to do with it.

And still they found nothing.

"It's not the same," The Doctor explained as he dropped another book onto the pile. "Before Canary Wharf, I _knew_ something was coming. There was a storm in the horizon. Time Lords can sense these things - whether something is about to happen, what possible futures there are in a certain point in time, whether or not you can change something. Now there's nothing. Even your timeline - whatever I can sense of it - is clear. There's literally _nothing_!" He ran his hands through his hair, growling in frustration. "And yet I know that if I don't do something soon, I'm going to lose you. That doesn't even make sense!"

Rose sighed, leaning back on the sofa. "We've searched the future. Whatever of it we could. Maybe it's really nothing." She sounded tired - but also completely unconvinced. She knew, just as well as he did, just how unlikely it was. Yes, he had bad feelings occasionally, and yes, sometimes they turned out to be nothing, but never when they were that deep and that clear.

"I could go through the whole bloody future with my Tardis and find nothing," He growled. He swore rarely, but when he did, it showed just how frustrated he was. "It's as clear as air. But there's _something_ wrong."

"Maybe we should search the past," She mumbled, somewhat sarcastic, as she rested her head against the back of the sofa. "Since you're so convinced the future is clear."

She might have been sarcastic, but the words stirred something deep within him. He stopped and stared at her, his mind reeling.

"What did you say?" He asked quietly, his voice serious.

She sighed again. "Sorry, I'm just-"

"No, Rose," He cut her off, "Say that again."

She looked slightly puzzled but complied. "I said that maybe we should search the past..." She trailed off, her eyes suddenly wide as she looked at him. "You think it's the past?" She asked, sitting up.

He didn't even hesitate before nodding. "I _know_ it's the past," He said quietly. "I can feel it. I can't believe we didn't think about it." His voice dropped to a whisper. "It's never 'past' and 'future'. It's timelines, woven together. It's _time_."

She nodded slowly, following his thoughts. "But then, aren't we supposed to avoid changing our own pasts?"

He nodded. "Yes," He said slowly. "we're supposed to leave the past alone. But it doesn't mean we _can't_ change the past. Remember when you saved your father?"

Rose's eyes filled with pain. "Yes," She said quietly, softly. "But he died anyway."

"But he didn't _have to_." He started walking back and forth in front of her, his mind reeling. "If you hadn't touched your baby-self, like I told you, I could have saved him. I could have saved them all."

"Could you?" She prodded, her voice still soft and quiet. "Or do you just wish you could?"

He bit his tongue before blurting out something insulting in response and thought. He could. He was certain of it. Once he found out the Tardis key was still linked to her, he knew he could have saved him. Before, there wasn't a chance, but then...

"Yes," He said quietly. "The Tardis was still there. Remember? Right before you touched baby Rose, the Tardis key started glowing. She was still there, not lost, like we'd feared. I could have saved them all, him included. Besides, if we hadn't gone there twice, maybe reality could still hold, even without my intervention."

She hesitated but dropped the subject, returning to the issue they were facing. "So what do you think it is, then? Somebody going back in time and changing what happened in Canary Wharf? Is that even possible?"

He seemed skeptic. "I don't know," He admitted. "I'm not sure. Besides, why should anybody change what happened? Other than to stop them from creating that breach into the void, in which case, nothing would have happened in the first place and we wouldn't be separated anyway," He added as an after thought.

"Doctor..." She started, but he didn't let her speak.

"I mean, why would anybody care about who lives and died in Canary Wharf? Anybody with the ability to travel time, that is. It just doesn't seem-"

" _You_ cared."

He stopped his pacing and stared at her. "What?" He managed, surprised.

She bit her lower lip but continued anyway. "You cared," She said quietly, looking back at him. "You thought the man I saw in New Year's Eve was a future version of you, right? So you cared."

Something must have been wrong with his brain, because he couldn't work out whatever she was talking about. What man? What future version? "What?" He managed again, both surprised and confused.

She sighed impatiently but explained anyway. "You remember we talked after you regenerated?" He nodded slowly, trying to follow her trail of thought. "I told you about this guy I saw in New Year's Eve. After you sent me away from Canary Wharf, I asked you about it, and you said you thought it's a warning, meant for you. Remember?"

He nodded. "Yes," He said, the details suddenly coming back into his mind. "Yes, I remember."

"So if you cared enough, why shouldn't someone else?" She finished quietly.

He froze. "Rose..." He managed, his voice hoarse, as he suddenly realised the truth of what's been bothering him for hours. "Nobody else cares about whatever happened in Canary Wharf."

"But-" She started, only to be cut off again.

" _I'm_ the one who cares." He ignored her, now speaking more to himself than to anyone else. "I cared about what happens in Canary Wharf. That's why I warned you when I went back."

"But you said-"

"Except I'm not going." He finished, staring at the Tardis wall in front of him.

"What?" She asked, confused.

He sat down slowly, still staring at the wall. "I don't know why I came to see you," He said quietly, "But whatever reason I had, it had to have been good. But there's one thing we know for sure - my future self wasn't with you." She nodded slowly. "He lost you in Canary Wharf. And I imagine that you were out of reach, or he wouldn't have gone to a time before we met."

"Right," She agreed, following his thought process. "So he wanted to see me, and couldn't while I was with you-"

"Because then there would be two versions of me in the same time," He confirmed.

"-So he preferred to go to the time before we met." She finished.

He nodded. "Exactly. Except he changed our past, and as a result, you're here. Meaning-"

"-You have no reason to go back and find me," She completed, suddenly understanding what he understood moments earlier.

"Exactly." He finally looked at her, and she saw both fear and resolution in his eyes. "Which means I never warned you, and since I didn't, we couldn't have avoided Canary Wharf. That's why I felt I'm about to lose you."

"So it's simple," She said, suddenly lightening up. "You just need to go back and warn me, and then it'll all be alright."

He bit his lower lip. "Except I can't go back, because if I do, I'll bring you to a time where there's already a version of you. And while we might be fine, I don't want to take the chance something might happen."

"But if I stay in the Tardis-"

"I'd have to send her away," He cut her off. "And bring her back when you're gone from the present - the day you decided to come with me. As much as I love Earth, I'd rather not spend several months there," He added, grimacing.

She giggled. "It's really not that bad."

He hummed in reluctant agreement. "I do like it," He admitted, "Just not enough to stay there like that again. But while we're on the subject of Earth and time travelling..."

Their eyes met again and they grinned at each other.

* * *

"Why don't _I_ go back and warn her?"

The Doctor groaned in frustration. "I'll bring it back to you," He promised, trying not to choke the man in front of him.

Captain Jack Harkness raised his eyebrows at Rose before turning back to the Doctor. "It's not that I don't trust you, Doctor," He started.

"It's just that you don't trust me," The Doctor completed dryly.

Jack didn't seem affected by the Time Lord's emotions. He simply shrugged. "Well, you _did_ say you'd like to keep me in one time period. Not to mention you nearly broke it the last time around."

The Doctor groaned again. "Considering everything you've done, you can't blame me for not wanting to let you travel time, can you?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Jack shrugged again. "Of course not. But you can't blame me for not wanting to give you my Vortex Manipulator. And just when I finally got it working again, too."

"But it's for Rose," He tried.

Jack flashed her a charming smile. "That's why I'm willing to go myself," He said, making Rose giggle quietly. The Doctor glared at her, and she immediately stepped back, trying to disappear into the shadows. "You know I'd do almost anything for Rose."

The Doctor turned his glare towards the other man. "I would rather have the Daleks dissecting me and stealing my Tardis than let you go anywhere near her," He said dryly. Jack raised his eyebrows in amusement but didn't argue. "And I swear, as a Time Lord, that I'll bring it back to you, or get you another one if it's broken," He added, returning to the reason they came in the first place.

Jack shook his head. "No," He said decisively. "I'm not taking the Vortex Manipulator off. Either I go back, or you'll have to find some other way."

The Doctor was just beginning to consider other, less pleasant, alternative ways to get the Vortex Manipulator when Rose spoke, cutting his thoughts off.

"Well," She said, "Why don't you both go?"

Jack weighed the idea before shrugging. "You can come," He agreed, slowly beginning to grin. "I wouldn't mind."

The Doctor glared at Jack. "You wouldn't mind. _You_ wouldn't mind!" He growled, looking uncharacteristically out of control.

"Since it's _my_ Vortex Manipulator-" Jack started dryly, but Rose cut him off impatiently.

"You two can keep standing here arguing," She said, "Or you can actually do something. Since this is the only way Jack would let you use it, and it's the fastest way we have," She said to the Doctor, "And you won't let Canary Wharf go the way it was supposed to," She said to Jack, "You could just stop this and go or keep standing here and go in two hours when you've finished."

The Doctor glared at her for a moment before sighing internally and turning to Jack. The other man had the nerve to be grinning - grinning! - but he nodded, raising his Vortex Manipulator.

"Fine," He rasped. "How fast can we go?"

Jack's grin widened. "As soon as you want."

* * *

It was windy, and it was cold, and the streets were busy with people, but nothing bothered the Doctor as much as the fact Jack was walking by his side. He wasn't even sure why it was - only that the ex-Time-Agent was flirting with anything that moved and nearly everything that didn't. Including Rose. _His_ Rose. And he didn't like it.

Not that he would do anything. And not that Rose would do anything. She loved him - she'd told him numerous times. He felt it when they connected telepathically. It was a real, deep love that ran all the way to her core, much like the one he felt for her.

That didn't mean he had to like seeing them flirting, even if it was jokingly. And even if Jack was flirting with him, too.

They landed close to the Powell Estate, but not too close that they might be seen. They still had a short walk, but they timed it in accordance with Rose's account of that day, so there was no reason they'd miss her.

"You don't talk to her," The Doctor ordered Jack before they left. "You stay _away_. Far away. Don't even let her see you."

Jack looked amused. "I'm not going to flirt with her," He said, toying with the Vortex Manipulator. "Stop worrying about that, Doctor."

The Doctor growled, but it was Rose that gave the persuasive argument. "I remember seeing only the Doctor," She said, frowning slightly as she remembered that night. "There was no one else. If you go with him, you might change the past."

The Doctor nodded, eagerly taking the argument. "Not to mention, she'd meet you before meeting this incarnation of me. And that would _definitely_ change the past. We don't want to change anything. There's no telling what might happen if we do."

Jack nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Anything more?" He added, turning to look at Rose.

She shook her head, once again looking at the Doctor. "Just make sure you don't draw any attention. I remember hearing a groan - that was what made me look at you in the first place."

It was his turn to frown. "What sort of a groan? Was I hurt?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, you didn't look hurt. But I think..." She hesitated. He nudged her gently. "I think it sounded a bit like you did before you regenerating," She admitted reluctantly.

He froze, then closed his eyes and briefly prayed for everything to go the way it should. If she was right, he was supposed to regenerate soon. He wasn't fond of the idea.

"Alright," He said, turning to Jack. "Let's go."

And so ten minutes later they were walking towards the Powell Estate, hands in the pockets of their coats. They didn't speak - the Doctor was too bothered with what was going to happen, and sensing his trouble, Jack said nothing. He did stay near him, though - somewhat of a comfort under the circumstances. At least he knew Jack was a friend; he could count on him, no matter what happens.

The Doctor being so busy with his own thoughts, it was Jack who noticed Rose and Jackie first. He elbowed the Doctor, who immediately turned to look at the same direction, gasping when he saw the women.

"We're on time," Jack whispered.

The Doctor nodded, pushing away his thoughts. Now it was all about Rose. Everything else could be dealt with later.

"There could be someone out there," Rose said to Jackie. She looked happy - the Doctor could feel his love for her filling his hearts again. She was so beautiful. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go again.

"Maybe, one day." Jackie replied. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year! Don't stay out all night." How Rose that was; worrying about her mother, even on New Year's Eve.

"Try and stop me." The Doctor barely stopped himself before snorting. He doubted _anyone_ could stop Jackie Tyler doing something she wanted to do.

Then they separated, and the Doctor took a deep breath, preparing himself. _It's showtime_.

* * *

When they made it back to Torchwood, the first thing the Doctor did was to run back to the room where they left Rose. She wasn't there.

Panic began filling him as he ran from room to room, trying to trace everything he'd said and done. Yes, she was still in his memories after the Battle of Canary Wharf. Yes, everything was still as he remembered it. So where was she?

"Doctor?"

He whirled around and pulled her to him, crashing her body against his. "Rose!" He breathed out in relief. Pulling back, he quickly studied her, making sure she's exactly the same. "You scared me!" He scolded as soon as he relaxed. "What are you doing wandering about like that?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You weren't expecting me to stay in that room for hours, were you?"

"You were- hours?" He cut himself off as he realised what she said.

She nodded. "It's been hours since you left."

"Hours," He repeated slowly, anger filling his eyes. "Hours. And what was he thinking doing this, leaving you here for hours while we're there and-"

"Did it work?"

His thoughts cut off, he looked up at her. "What?" He asked, confused.

"Did it work?" She repeated. He stared at her. She rolled her eyes. "Did you manage to change the past?"

"Oh!" He breathed out as he suddenly remembered the objective of their trip. Frowning, he reached out, trying to sort his emotions from the feeling of the time Vortex and the future yet to come. There was nothing in the horizon; no chance of losing her permanently, for whatever reason. Nothing like Canary Wharf - past or present. Meeting her eyes again, he grinned. "It worked! Rose, it actually worked!"

Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her up and swirled her around, laughing joyously. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed as well, her face pressed against his shoulder.

"It worked," He repeated quietly when he put her back down, looking at her lovingly, still unable to stop grinning.

"Forever, yeah?" She asked, giving him her signature grin.

"Forever," He agreed and bent down to kiss her.

* * *

_He groaned in pain as best he could, trying to imagine he's about to regenerate._

_Rose immediately turned to him. "You alright, mate?" She asked._

_He nodded. "Yeah," He managed, as it suddenly came to his mind what might happen if he fails to give her the warning. His hearts crashed at the thought; he could have sworn he'd regenerate any moment just from the pain._

_"Too much to drink?" She asked in amusement._

_How was he supposed to respond to that? "I wish," He mumbled the first thing that came to his mind._

_She seemed even more amused at that. "That explains," She said. "Maybe it's time you went home, eh?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Anyway," She continued lightly, flashing him a smile, "Happy New Year."_

_He nodded briefly. "And you. What year is it?" That was one of the things Rose remembered clearly from that conversation, and even though he knew what year it was, he knew he'd have to do it as close to the way it was as possible._

_"Blimey, how much have you had?" She seemed amused once again. "Two-thousand and five, January the first."_

_"Two-thousand and five," He repeated. "Tell you what," He continued casually, "I bet you're going to have a great year."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Yeah," He replied quickly. Now it was all up to him. He fished from his memory everything Rose told him about that moment as he continued. "But when the storm comes, run far, like on the satellite." He desperately wanted to add something more, to mention Torchwood and the Daleks and Emergency Program One, but he couldn't. He knew it. He couldn't be greedy. Having Rose was enough; he had to trust himself to understand the message._

_"Blimey," He was relieved to see she wasn't taking him seriously, "How much did you drink?"_

_He shrugged. "Too much, I suppose."_

_"I'd say so. See you."_


End file.
